Quick Facts:
Prenatal Care

Prenatal care refers to pregnancy-related care. Prenatal care services typically include screening and treatment for medical conditions, and identification and interventions for behavioral risk factors associated with poor birth outcomes (e.g. smoking, poor nutrition). Assessment of the appropriateness of prenatal care obtained during pregnancy can be measured in different ways. PeriStats provides data on the timing of the first prenatal care visit; that is, when prenatal care is first initiated during the pregnancy. It also provides data on the adequacy of prenatal care, which assesses both the timing of the first prenatal care visit, and the frequency of visits throughout the entire pregnancy adjusted for the infant's gestational age.

In Baltimore city in 2012, 64.9% of live births were to women receiving early prenatal care, 25.5% were to women beginning care in the second trimester, and 9.6% were to women receiving late or no prenatal care.

In 2012, about 1 in 10 infants (9.6% of live births) was born to a woman receiving late or no prenatal care in Baltimore city.

In Baltimore city, 64.3% of live births were to women receiving adequate/adequate plus prenatal care, 11.7% were to women receiving intermediate care, and 24.0% were to women receiving inadequate care.

In 2012, about 1 in 4 infants (24.0% of live births) was born to a woman receiving inadequate prenatal care in Baltimore city.

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Footnotes

Early prenatal care is pregnancy-related care beginning in the first trimester (1-3 months).

Late/No prenatal care is pregnancy-related care beginning in the 3rd trimester (7-9 months) or when no pregnancy-related care was received at all.

Adequacy is measured using the Adequacy of Prenatal Care Utilization Index, which classifies prenatal care received into 1 of 4 categories (inadequate, intermediate, adequate, and adequate plus) by combining information about the timing of prenatal care, the number of visits, and the infant's gestational age.